Brampton City Council Meeting: Transportation, Environment, and Community Infrastructure

Brampton City Council dealt with transportation, environment, public safety, infrastructure and property matters, including approval of changes related to bicycle lanes on Clockwork Drive, an update on the transfer of waste collection services, funding for Clareville Dam rehabilitation, discussion of the Brampton Grow Green environmental plans, and an urgent discussion about incidents and event management at Jacuzzi Park. Council also heard from residents about the Embleton community centre timeline, turtle conservation, and transit electrification.

Topics Discussed

1. CLOCKWORK DRIVE BIKE LANES

Council debated Item 8.2.2 on bicycle lanes on Clockwork Drive in Ward 6 after hearing from residents and active transportation advocates. Opponents said the change would create a break in the cycling network and make riding less safe, especially for younger or less confident cyclists. Councillor Rowena Santos said, "Imagine your 15-year-old riding on clockwork and suddenly they're faced with parked cars," and added, "This is not a safe situation. This is not going to encourage people who need infrastructure to ride. You are breaking the network."

Some councillors argued they were trying to balance staff evidence with resident requests for parking relief. Councillor Paul Ainslie said, "when we have you know thousands of people talk about something you know against something we have you know some good evidence our responsibility as a counselor is to listen to our residents and balance those two phenomenas contrasting opinions." The item was approved.

2. BRAMPTON GROW GREEN, EMISSIONS REDUCTION, AND WASTE

Council considered Item 8.2.3, the Brampton Grow Green Environmental Master Plan and Community Energy and Emissions Reduction Plan, and heard from resident Sylvia Roberts. She asked council to clarify its priorities, saying, "So as council, which is important to you? Are you going for the overall total reduction? Are you saying uh corporate is the most important? Are you saying we're going to weight them equally?" She also questioned transit electrification planning: "we signed a $4 billion contract for electrifying the buses but we don't have the electrification. How is this supposed to work?"

Council also discussed district energy, home energy retrofit partnerships, solar retrofits, and waste management. On waste, Councillor Keenan said, "Waste has been the biggest challenge to make actions move forward because it's a bit decentralized through the city," and said staff wanted to explore "creating a centralized working group to look at waste cohesively across the city." Council later directed staff to report back on options to centralize waste management and to summarize responses to the transit electrification questions raised in delegation.

3. JACUZZI PARK SAFETY, FIREWORKS, AND PARKING

Councillor Pat Fortini raised an urgent discussion item, saying, "I just want to add the discussion what happened in Jacuzzi Park and what's going to happen in the future." The discussion focused on crowd control, fireworks enforcement, parking congestion, and emergency access during major events.

Council heard that 13 charges had been issued related to "weapon offenses, trespass to property act and explosives," according to information shared from the community liaison officer. Fortini described the parking situation in nearby neighbourhoods as a safety risk, saying, "You can't even invite family over," and asking, "How's a firetruck getting in? How's the police getting in?" Staff also reported 831 vehicles had been towed year-to-date, compared with 281 at the same point last year.

4. EMBLETON COMMUNITY CENTRE TIMELINE AND FUNDING

Residents raised concerns about delays to the Embleton community centre project after years of advocacy and a groundbreaking ceremony. Resident Prashant Panda said, "We have been advocating for this community center from since 2017," and added that for eight years residents had attended meetings, organized petitions and worked with stakeholders "to ensure this piece of infrastructure becomes a reality." Another resident said, "We are tired of seeing shifting goalposts while our families, youth and seniors continue to go without the vital recreation space and an infrastructure we were promised."

Staff said the project had gone over budget but had completed value engineering. They said $64 million in federal funding had been secured, but additional Indigenous notification requirements with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation had to be completed before early works could begin. Mayor Patrick Brown said, "it's unusual for us to take out debt for a recreation center," but added that local councillors had made clear "this was their number one priority."

5. TURTLE TROOPERS, FISHING RULES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FUNDING

Council heard from the Heart Lake Turtle Troopers about turtle protection work, including volunteer hours, hotline calls and nest protection. Councillors linked that work to broader restoration efforts. One councillor said restoration around local ponds meant "more turtles" and "we need to make sure that at the same time to your point they are protected appropriately."

The group also asked council to help identify funding for incubation work and to address illegal fishing at certain lakes. Staff said they were prepared to work with councillors and community groups on recognition signage. Staff stated they were "very happy to work with yourself, councelor Plesi, the turtle troopers, and other city groups to explore the process to develop an honorary name and recognition sign along the stretch of Hart Lake Road."

Motions

• Item 8.2.2 - Bicycle Lanes on Clockwork Drive (Ward 6): Approved.
• Item 8.2.1 - Update on Transfer of Waste Collection Services Implementation Plan: Approved as part of the consent motion.
• Item 8.2.4 - Budget Amendment for Ontario Grant Transfer Payment for Clareville Dam Rehabilitation: Approved as part of the consent motion.
• Item 8.2.5 - Official Plan Amendment for Center for Innovation and Heritage Theater Block and Southern Block lands (Ward 8): Approved as part of the consent motion.
• Item 12.2.1 - Surplus Declaration of City-Owned Property at 56 Flavian Crescent, Ward 8: Approved.
• Item 12.4.2 - Correspondence from Gilo Acquisitions Corporation regarding review of city lands for potential disposition: Referred for further discussion and staff review.
• Staff referral on transit electrification questions raised during Item 8.2.3: Carried.
• Motion directing staff to report back on centralizing waste management across the city: Carried unanimously.
• Referral to staff to explore funding sources for turtle conservation, including the Advance Brampton Fund: Carried.
• Motion 15.2 / Arts Organization agreement or lease authority: Carried unanimously.

Attendees

Councillors named in the meeting notes as present or participating: - Patrick Brown, Mayor - Rowena Santos - Paul Ainslie - Pat Fortini - Michael Palleschi - Martin Medeiros - Keenan

Note: Some names in the source notes were inconsistently spelled; this list uses the clearest identifiable names from the record provided.